Safety device for overhead electric lines



July 25, 1933. I M E. MATH|EU SAFETY DEVICE FOR OVERHEAD ELECTRIC LINESFiled March 8, 1933 3 Sheets-Sheet l July 25, 1933. M. E. MATHIEU SAFETYDEVICE FOR OVERHEAD ELECTRIC LINES Filed March8, 1933 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 IJuly 25, 1933. MATHlEU 1,919,663

SAFETY DEVICE FOR OVERHEAD ELECTRIC LINES Filed. March 8, 1933 3 SheetS-Sheet 5 C C C U U D U D D ,M E? I //f Patented July 25, 1933 SAFETYDevice F 01: ween e-Emanuele Lines *M-y invention relates "to overheadelectric lines and its chief object is to provide a safety device forsuch lines 'tha't is f 'capa'Lbl'e v 1 of-preventing theoccurrence ofanyeacci dent that Inightbe causetl by-an accidental breale, ing' of theline. 1 v

Another object ofun'y invention is to provide a safety device ofthatkindthatis fur the-adapted to-be 'used 'forcutting off the cur'rentin the-line.

In order to obtainthese results, the electric 'line is divided into acertainnuniberof'sec- 'tions, and two adiacent sections 'are electriPreferred embodiments of "my invention will be hereinafter describedwith reference to the accompanying drawings, givenmerebyway'of'exainple. and in'which: N Fig. l'isa diagrammatical sideelevationa l *Viexv of the safety device"accordingtd my i v ienr'FigIQ'is a correspondingel'evation'alfview at right 'anglesto Figll j I"j I Fig's. 8 and 4 are elevatio'nal' "views similar to igs. 1 andf2respectirfelvillustrating a siinplified embodiinent'of' my invention.iIn' the'deviceshown inFig. 1, twobar's 1,

carried by supports 2. fron1 which'they-Ta're' insulated byinsulatorsf8. Said bars-1 su'pkport,- through;arrns 4;, connectingbars 5piy oted at 6 to the ends of said arms' i. Said connecting bars areelectricallv connected to the line 7 and their upper ends 8 are appliedagainst each other, thus electrically connecting together two sectionsof the line.

The end of a section 7 of the line is mechanically connected to a chain9 wound around a pulley 10 journalled on bar 1. The

: other end of said chain 9 carries a. counterweight ll electricallyinsulated from chai s With a 1 stop 13. of a diameter' greater tha'n thewidth offsaidslot. i r t Counterwei'ght 1'1 is sochosenas to norm a-llibalance the tension of 'the section -;o'f the lineto which itcorresponds. I

ilheioperation of the device is as follows: If, under 4 certainvariations of temperature or weather;the lineis subjectedto-certain additio'nal stres e the counterweights nove "within certain.-1imits, thusensuring a *su'bstantia-lly constant"mechanical tension o'if the line.for any reason' whatever, one or -more of the conductors of the line isbroken, the action of the corresponding counterweight is, no longerbalanced by the I tension 70 of 'the line. "Saidcounterweight therefore'Inov'es doWn,"driving chain 9 together with "it. Stop 13 is "thusbrought into contact "with the edges of-slot 14 and bar is -s"11b]ected' to the action of --counterweight- 11 7-5 which causes 'it topivot about pointfi so v that it is no longer in contact withftheconnecting bar 5 of the adjacentsection of the line. lc'ctricconn'ectionistherefore cut i on between the broken section of the line and #790'-the othe1-sect ions connected {to a" source of -'cu'nent. The Jarrangement above described -might I not 'he-suliicient if, oneconductor ofthe l-i'ne being broken, for"instance-the middle one' in CFig. 2, the two other conductors remained "connectedto -the source'of"current; ,The' broken conductor might then come 1 into contact-Withanyo'f' thet'wo other conductors-and accidents would still be possible.I In order to obviate thisdr avs' back, the con- 7 nectinbars 5* of theconductors correspond 'in'g= respect1vely to the three F phases cf: thecurrent are mechanically connected together and electrically insulatedfrom one another. We

' Under these conditions, when one of the conductors is broken, theaction of its counterweight causes the three bars to pivot out ofcontact with the respective corresponding bars of the adjacent section.

An example of such an arrangement is shown in Fig. 2. It consists ofrods 16 rigidly connecting together the three connecting bars 5,insulators 15 being inserted between said rods so as to electricallyinsulate said bars from one another.

The length of a section of electric line provided with the deviceaccording to my invention depends on the length of the displacementsthat the counterweight is allowed to have, on the diameter and on thenature of the conductors. It may vary between 3 and 5 kilometers.

An operating chain 17' is fitted to the middle connecting bar, as shownin Figs. 1 and 2. Said chain is provided with insulators 18. It servesto cut off at will the circuitof the line. y

The safety device according to my invention can be adapted to overheadelectric lines made according to the methods. Such an embodiment isshown in Figs. 3 and 4. The connecting bars are dis posed as in thepreceding example. The ends of the conductors are adapted to slide intheir supports. The ends of eachconductor has, attached to it, acounterweight 11 bearing against thesupport and the weight of which issufiicient for causing, in case of the ,conductor being broken, stop 18to act on the lower end of the connecting bar. so as to rotate it andcut off the electric connection between the two adjacent sections of theline.

While I have described what I deem to be preferred embodiments ofmyinvention, it shouldbe well understood that I do not wish to be limitedthereto as there might be changes made in the arrangement, disposition,and form of the parts without departing-from the principle of myinvention as comprehended within the scope of thejappended claims.

What I claim is:

-1.,A safety device for overhead electric lines which comprises incombination, a conductor forming a section of the line, pivoting contactmeans for electrically connecting said section of theline to anotherconductor, a counterweight mechanically connected to said section of theline, and means, operatively connected with said counterweight, forcausing said contact means to pivot out of contact with the secondmentioned conductor when the counterweight has moved a distance greaterthan a predetermined value. v i 2. A safety device for overhead electriclines, which comprises in combination, a conductor forming a section ofthe line, a pivotordinary ing bar for electrically connecting saidsection of the line to another conductor, a pulley, a chain passinground said pulley and fixed at one end to the first mentioned conductor,the lower end of said pivoting bar being provided with an openingthrough which said end of the chain passes freely, a stop on said chainadapted to butt against the edges of said opening, and a counterweightfixed to the other end of said chain.

3. A safety device according to claim 1 further comprising at leastanother conductor corresponding to another phase of the current,pivoting contact means for the last mentioned conductor, rigid means formechanically connecting the last mentioned pivoting contact means withthe first mentioned pivoting contact means, and means for electricallyinsulating the last mentioned pivoting contact means from the firstmentioned contact means.

4. A safety devlce according to claim 2 :further comprising at leastanother conductor corresponding to another phase of the current, apivoting bar for the last mentioned conductor, rigid means formechanically connecting together the two bars, and means forelectrically insulating from each other said two bars.

5. A safety device according to claim 1 further comprising means formanually operating said pivoting contact means.

6. A safety device according to claim 2 further comprising a chainoperatively connected with saidbar, and at least an electrical insulatorprovided in said chain, where- 'by said pivoting bar can be manuallyoperated.

'7. A safety device for overhead electric lines which comprisesincombination, a support, a conductor forming a section of the line, theend of said conductor being slidably mounted in said support, a pivotingbar for electrically connecting said section of the line to anotherconductor, the lower end of said pivoting bar being provided with anopening through which said end of the conductor passes freely, a stop onsaid conductor adapted to butt against the edges of said opening, and acounterweight fixed to the end of the conductor and butting against saidsupport.

8. A safety device according to claim 7 further comprising a chain fixedto the lower end of said pivoting bar, and at least one electricalinsulator provided in said chain, where by said pivoting bar can bemanually operat- MAR-IE ERNEST MATHIEU.

